Coming Out Of Our Shells
by LenniluvsBrian
Summary: Toddlers are found, but why are the 8yr old TMNT so excited about it? What happens as they all grow up & realize that they cannot always do what they'd like?


Disclaimer: This is a co-written fic by Daydream and LenniluvsBrian. We do not own anything but our original characters. ;o)

Leonardo understood his objective; in complete silence, he had to find all three of his brothers and the hidden item, and return to the lair within thirty minutes. It was a rather simple thing to do but he had to do it in the oppressive dark of the sewer. Master Splinter had covered the few lights with black cloths before they had started the lesson. Michelangelo had immediately started to whine, saying that the sewer monsters would eat them all, but Master Splinter had shushed him with one of his stern looks.

The four turtles had been placed along the sewer line, each secluded from his brothers. Master Splinter had explained that most ninja work was done in silence and secrecy; it was a concept his sons were having a hard time grasping. Being only eight years old, they just wanted to run around the lair and play but Splinter knew that the skills he was teaching them would be imperative to their survival. As a result, ninjitsu lessons were beginning to cut seriously into play time.

Cautiously sneaking down the sewer pipe, Leo used his remaining senses to try and find his brothers. If they were moving too, then they would probably splash in the mucky water he was walking in. The sense of smell was out of the question since the sewer stench would have overpowered any other smells, even the pizza aroma that seemed to cling to Mikey. Taste was useless unless he walked around with his tongue stuck out and happened to lick one of his brothers. Leo made a face at the thought of accidentally licking Raphael. He made use of the touch, sticking one hand out in front of him and the other against the wall of the sewer.

Hearing someone breathing, Leonardo froze, straining to hear the noise again. There it was! It was excited breathing from a person who was actually enjoying this whole stalking in the dark scenario. Leo knew that he had found Raphael. He splashed again, letting Raph know that he was nearby and headed towards the breathing.

"Took you long enough," muttered Raphael. He reached out and touched Leonardo, who was directly in front of him.

"Shhh," Leo said, reminding his brother that they were supposed to be silent. Raphael snorted but did not speak again.

Side by side, the two of them started moving again. They did not get very far before the faint sound of whimpering found them. Through the darkness, the two brothers shared a brief look, just knowing that it was Mikey. Their youngest brother hated being alone and he was afraid of the dark, a bad combination for the lesson at hand.

Something scurried to their left and Raphael headed towards it, his hands stretched out in front of him. He hoped it was Mikey and not some big rat.

"Mikey," he hissed, trying to get a fix on his brother's position. His fingers touched a soft, scaled shoulder and he wrapped his hand around it, pulling what he thought was Mikey towards him.

A terrified shriek ripped through the quiet air, startling Leonardo and making Raphael stumble backwards, landing on his rear in the muck.

"What was that!" Donatello yelled nervously from wherever he was. Raphael angrily scrambled up from the floor. He did not even bother to wipe off the nasty mud as he whipped his head around, trying to see what had screamed so loud.

"Is it gonna eat us!" shouted Michelangelo, starting to panic. "I don't want it to eat us! I don't wanna die! Or be eaten!"

Raphael rolled his eyes at his younger brother's irrational fears. "It ain't big enough to eat us, doofus."

"It's highly unlikely that it will be able to eat us, anyways," Donatello said as he left his position. He was headed towards Mikey's voice, which sounded closer to him than Raphael's. "Our shells present a natural defense to most predators."

"Stop watching the nature channel, Donnie," said Raphael, "You sound like a boring science teacher or something."

Narrowing his eyes, Leo saw two small, shadowy figures slide farther back against the wall, hiding behind a few pipes. Leo thought they looked like a couple of little kids, though how they would get down in the sewers, he had no idea. He turned his head over his shoulder. "Hey, Donnie, do you have a flashlight with you?"

"Hmm…let me see." A few seconds later a bright beam bounced against the ceiling, lending light to the situation. "Yep! I do."

"Really, Donnie, we couldn't tell," said Raphael, rubbing his eyes since they were unaccustomed to the light. There was a large amount of splashing as Mikey ran over to his brother, ecstatic about the flashlight.

"Yay for Donnie and the Turtle Scout Code, always be prepared!" Mikey exclaimed.

"There is no such thing as a turtle scout, Mikey," Donnie said as he swung the flashlight around, looking for his other two brothers. Raphael flung his arm up over his face as the beam hit him.

"Watch it with that!"

"Sorry," Donnie said sheepishly.

"Hey, lemme see the flashlight," Mikey said, reaching for the flashlight. Donnie held it out of his reach.

"No, Mikey."

"Please, Donnie, I'll be careful!"

"No. You don't need to hold it, you're fine!"

"C'mon, Donnie!"

Leonardo watched the pair of kids behind the pipes carefully. When the flashlight came on, a little cry came from one of them and they both shrank back, away from the open sewer. The light landed on them for a second while Mikey and Donnie were fighting over the flashlight and Leo could have sworn he had seen a glimpse of green skin. Raphael must have seen the same thing because he was instantly right beside Leonardo, peering past the pipes as well.

"Is that it?" Raphael asked, crouching down to get a better look. Leo shrugged.

"I think so…" He turned towards where Donnie and Mikey were still arguing. "Can you two stop fighting and bring the light over here?" he asked, though it was more of an order than a request.

Donatello pulled the flashlight out of Mikey's clinging grasp and ran up the tunnel to join his brothers. Mikey was right on his heels, reluctant to be away from the comforting light. He leaned over Raphael when he reached his brother in red, wondering what they were staring at.

"What is it? Is it big? Is it gonna eat us? Do you think it likes turtles?"

"Shaddup, Mikey," Raphael snapped, becoming irritated at all the questions.

"Shine it over into those pipes, Donnie," said Leonardo, pointing in the right direction. Donatello lifted the light and shined it into the pipes. Two pairs of eyes glimmered in the glow before they both ducked down again. The sound of sobbing confused all four of the boys.

"Why is the thing that's gonna eat us crying?"

Raphael turned around and bapped Mikey in the back of the head. "It's not gonna eat us!"

Leonardo rolled his eyes at his brothers before he started to walk slowly towards the pipes. "Hello?" he called out, "Are you guys lost?"

"Leo! Be careful!" cautioned Mikey from his protected spot behind Raphael. "It might just be trying to get you to think its okay and then it'll attack."

"Hush, Mikey," Leo said, waving a hand back at his talkative younger brother. He focused on the pipes again. He heard rustling noises as he crept closer. "We're not going to hurt you. We're nice really big turtles."

"What a way to break the ice," Raphael snorted. Leonardo shot him a glare.

"Fine, you wanna take the lead, go ahead," said Leonardo, storming back over to his brothers. He nodded towards the pipes when Raphael just stared at him. "Go on, I'll stay back here and tease you."

"Fine, I will," Raphael growled back, but he was a little uncertain of what to do. Gathering his nerves, he walked up to the pipes and knocked on then. "Hey, you little punks, get out of here, this ain't no place for kids!"

This time, two individual screams combined together into an awesome wail that made all four turtles cringe. Raphael rushed back to his brothers.

"Um, you can handle it, Leo."

Leo sighed as he went over to the pipes again. Since Raphael had already scared the kids out of their wits, he did not think seeing a young mutant turtle would add too much to their shock. He poked his head over the pipes and his mouth dropped open in shock.

Huddled together against the wall were two tiny turtle mutants, almost exactly like himself and his brothers. They were clinging to each other and crying, obviously very frightened. The pair looked up at him with big eyes that widened at the sight of him. They could not have been any older than toddler age.

"Go 'way!" one of them screamed before burying its head back down into the other's shoulder. Leonardo noticed that both of them had hair though he could not tell the color at the time.

"H-hi," Leonardo stammered, remembering that he needed to calm them down. "I'm Leonardo."

The pair continued to cry while he talked to them in a soft, gentle voice, telling them the names of his brothers and his sensei. He was dismayed; he did not know how to handle the situation.

"Hey, Leo, you're taking forever!" Mikey exclaimed as he suddenly appeared at Leo's elbow. He had obviously discovered some courage. "What'd ya fin-" His constant chatter abruptly stopped as he saw the two turtle mutants behind the pipes. He gaped at Leo and then yelled back at Raphael and Donnie,

"Leo found a couple of mini-us!" Turning back around, he grinned down at the two little mutants. "Hey, you guys, did Raphael scare you?"

"They're not much for talking," mumbled Leo, judging by his own fruitless attempts. Mikey shook his head.

"You were just doing it wrong," said Mikey. He leaned over the pipes until he was about to fall in with them. "Don't mind him, he's a sourpuss. I'm Michelangelo, y'know, but you can call me Mikey."

They stared at him, this new, smiling person that looked like they did. The other two were scary but this one…he was okay. When two more faces appeared at the top of the pipes, they both became teary-eyed again.

"Hey, hey, don't cry," Mikey said, still smiling, "It's just Donnie and Raph. Well, I guess Raph's face _is_ enough make anyone cry."

"You just want a knuckle sandwich, don'tcha, Mikey?" Raphael muttered but he forced the scowl off his face as he looked down at the small turtles. "Wow…"

"This is extraordinary!" cried Donatello excitedly. "I thought we were the only ones. I wonder where they came from."

"Looks like they're in pretty good shape," Leonardo said, glancing over the two of them. "They can't have been living down here for long; someone must have been taking care of them."

"Don't stare at 'em," said Mikey, "They don't like it."

"And you would know," said Raphael. Mikey nodded his head, a grin on his face.

"Of course! Now let me get them outta there," he said, shooing his brothers away. Seeing as Mikey had had the only success so far, they let him at it, hoping that the two turtles would listen to him.

A few minutes later, Mikey was lifting the first young turtle out from behind the pipes. It eyed the others warily and clung to Michelangelo's leg as he fished the other one out, putting it on its feet. He chuckled as they both held onto the sides of his belt with four-fingered hands as he moved to join his brothers. "They said that you're scary and that they don't have names and guess what? They like me." He beamed and lifted his chin proudly into the air.

"How in the heck did they tell yah all that?" Raphael demanded. "We didn't hear 'em make a sound other than cryin'."

Michaelangelo smirked. "We whispered, Raph. Duh."

"I'll duh you!" Raphael growled, causing the two small turtle tots to cling even tighter to Michaelangelo and bury their faces into his legs.

"Hey, hey, shh…" Michaelangelo soothed, patting their small shells lightly. "It's okay. Raph won't hurt yah, though he may talk and look scary."

"Mikey, I'm _warning_ you," Raphael warned his brother warily.

"We better get back to Master Splinter," Leonardo piped up suddenly. "He's probably getting worried and wondering why we're taking so long."

"Maybe he can tell us how old they are!" Donatello said. "Though, they can't be all that old, since they're so small."

The four brothers began to head back to the lair, the two newfound little ones holding vastly to Michaelangelo as though their lives depended on it – though, in a way it did.

Master Splinter stood watching the clock in the lair, wondering just why it was taking his sons so long to come back. He knew this was in a way, a fairly easy assignment, so they should have been back within the time limit. Why they were late was beyond him. Maybe they had run into some sort of trouble? Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all? Or maybe, they were dawdling and playing around when they were to be silent? Only time would tell, and for their sakes, it'd better be the latter. He reached out with his senses – it seemed that they were all safe and sound, which meant they were probably playing. He'd deal with them once they returned home safely.

After walking for a short while they reached the lair and entered excitedly.

"Sensei! Sensei!" Three of the four cried as they ran in.

"What took you so long, my sons?" Master Splinter demanded, then noticed Michaelangelo was missing which was odd as he'd a fear of the dark. "And where is your brother?"

"We found baby turtles!" They exclaimed. "Mikey's got 'em!"

Master Splinter looked confused. All this excitement over baby turtles? Surely there had to be more to it than that?

Michaelangelo entered then with the two tiny turtle tots clinging to his sides like leeches. "Hiya Sensei!" He beamed. "Lookie what we found! C'n we keep 'em?"

Master Splinter's eyes went wide with surprise. Baby turtles – no wonder it had taken his sons so long to return home! They'd brought home babies, who seemed to be rather frightened by everything and everyone but Michaelangelo.

Michaelangelo led the small ones over to his father, so that he could see them better. He paused when the girls began to whimper. "Shh. Hey, it's just Master Splinter. He won't hut yah none. He c'n help yah, an' he's _great_ for cuddlin'!"

"Yeah, you'd know that quite well, wouldn't yah Mikey?" Raphael riposted.

Michaelangelo shot him a hurt look. "I'm _not_ the only one!"

"Pfft," Raphael scoffed.

"Raphael, that is quite enough. There is _nothing_ wrong with wanting to be cuddled," Master Splinter reprimanded. "If I recall, there have been quite a few times where you, yourself, have requested the very same of me."

Raphael looked away sheepishly, feeling embarrassed that his secret had been let out. Wasn't his fault their father was so comfortable.

"Spin'er," one of the little ones spoke softly.

Master Splinter smiled. "Hello little one," he said softly, crouching down slightly. He slowly reached out once they were close enough and gently brushed the head of the one who'd spoken. "Do you know how you came here?"

The little one nodded and pointed to Michaelangelo, indicating they'd gotten to the lair because of him.

"Do you know how you got to where you were before that?" Master Splinter tried.

The tiny turtle shook its head, not having a clue. "Seepin'," she told him quietly.

"Ah, you were sleeping, I see," Master Splinter nodded. He reached for the toddler cautiously, smiling when the little one cautiously came into his embrace. "I will not hurt you. Are you hungry?"

The little turtle nodded its head, its hair bobbing about just as the little one still clinging to Michaelangelo began to wail.

Master Splinter glanced over, suddenly noticing both little ones were in diapers. He was surprised, as this meant that somebody had definitely been caring for them up until this point in time. It also told him that someone had been wandering around the sewers near their home, which might not be good, especially if the lair was found out.

"Come, little one," he spoke softly, reaching for the other child. He held back a sigh as the child just hugged Michaelangelo tighter wailing at the top of its lungs.

"C'mon, Munchkin," Michaelangelo said brightly, lifting the little one up into his arms. "Let's go with Sensei an' get you clean."

The little one buried its face into his plastron, though he just grinned wider. "I told yah they like me, guys!"

Master Splinter chuckled and scooped the other child up into his arms. "Come Michaelangelo. We must change them, so that they will not cry."

Michaelangelo followed his father into his study, for once not fearing punishment. The four of them were in there a while, before they all came back out, Michaelangelo still holding the same little one as before.

"They're girls!" He grinned. "We got sisters!"

"Aww, man!" Raphael groaned. "Weren't yah mugs 'nough for me to hafta look at?"

"Raphael! Ten flips!" Master Splinter ordered.

Raphael grumbled, but headed off to the dojo to do his flips. So much for being able to speak his mind.

"Are they girls, Sensei?" Leonardo asked. "I mean, how do you know?"

Master Splinter glanced upward. "Trust me, Leonardo, they are both girls. Their hair is also a factor in telling us so, as it is down to their shoulders. Also, they are not as big as any of you were at this age and they have softer features and higher cheekbones. Believe me, they are girls."

"How are we gonna take care of 'em, Sensei?" Donatello asked. "I mean, we hardly have enough food for ourselves. And how old are they?"

"We will manage, Donatello," Master Splinter assured him. "I believe they are about two years of age and should be out of diapers soon enough."

"Whatcha gonna name 'em, Sensei? Huh? Huh?" Michaelangelo questioned excitedly, shifting the one in his arms some. She had shoulder length brown hair and piercing green eyes that shone with curiosity and innocence. She was a little smaller than her sister, but not by too much,

Master Splinter sat in his chair with the other turtle girl in his lap. She had shoulder length blond hair and chocolate brown eyes, which also shone with curiosity and innocence. "I will name them after two female renaissance painters – Catarina van Hemessen and Marietta Robusti Tintoretto."

"But whose gonna be who?" Leonardo wondered.

Master Splinter nodded to the one Michaelangelo was holding. "She will be Marietta," he informed his sons, then nodded to the child in his lap. "She will be Catarina."

"Marietta and Catarina," Donatello repeated. "Nice."

"Spin'er," Catarina spoke softly.

"Yes, child?" Master Splinter replied.

"Hun'wy," she told him.

"Leonardo, do see if we have some soft food for the little ones, or any leftover breadsticks."

"Hai, Sensei," Leonardo answered, bowing before running off to the kitchen.

Michaelangelo sat down upon the couch with Marietta in his lap. "They're awful cute. Can they sleep with me?"

Master Splinter sighed. "You might squash them, as you toss and turns lots, Michaelangelo."

"Aww, Sensei," Michaelangelo whined as Raphael returned. "I promise I won't squash 'em none. But they like me, an' the rest of yah might scare 'em."

"They like Master Splinter," Raphael pointed out. "Well, one does anyway."

Donatello chuckled as Marietta buried herself into Michaelangelo and Catarina into Master Splinter. "Well, they don't seem to like you too much, Raph."

"Ah, Shaddup," Raphael replied. "Not my fault they're fraidy cats."

Michaelangelo tickled Marietta's sides, as Catarina crawled down out of Master Splinter's lap and toddled over to him. "Ups!" She insisted.

Donatello helped her up onto the couch, so that she could be next to Michaelangelo. "They seem to talk alright. Well, Catarina does; why won't Marietta?"

"Maybe she is still very frightened, Donatello," Master Splinter answered. "Or it could be that she is very shy. Or, she might not know how to just yet."

"She hasn't said nothin' to me," Michaelangelo shrugged. "But she likes me, 'cause she won't leggo. Sensei tried to change her diaper, but I had to stay where she could see me." He wrinkled his nose. "Diapers are pretty smelly."

"No kidding, doofus," Raphael told him. "You're a diaper yourself."

"Hey! Am not! Take that back!" Michaelangelo cried.

"_Raphael_," Master Splinter said in a warning tone, giving his son in red a fatherly _Look_.

Raphael looked away, hoping he wouldn't have to do anymore ten flips anytime soon.

Leonardo returned then with two breadsticks he'd managed to find, and handed one to each tiny toddler turtle girl. "Here yah go. If yah munch on 'em enough, they'll go soft."

Both Catarina and Marietta took the breadsticks, sticking them into their mouths immediately to mash them up and such.

"Do not crowd them too much, my sons," Master Splinter stated as the three turtle boys standing crowded around their brother in orange and the toddlers on the couch. "They may still become frightened by you."

The boys nodded and backed off a bit, though Donatello was brave enough to sit on the arm of the couch near Catarina, who eyed him curiously. Marietta meanwhile, was eyeing both Raphael and Leonardo warily, as they sat on the floor in front of the T.V. and on the other side of the coffee table.

Our names: I'm named after female Renaissance painter Marietta Robusti Tintoretto and Day's named after Catarina van Hemessen, another female Ren. painter. So our names are Marietta and Catarina, Marie and Cat/Kitty for short.


End file.
